


A Favor

by Midnight_Pheonix



Series: DreamSMP One-Shots [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, How Do I Tag, Some angst, Tags May Change, again only rly relevant in chpt 2, but thats only rly relevant in chpt 2, im prob forgetting something, no beta we die like wilbur, oh yeah theres some blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29916102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Pheonix/pseuds/Midnight_Pheonix
Summary: kinda just my headcanon about Techno's backstory and his history with Dreambasically he lived with Sir Billiam when he was a kid and blah blah that's all in chapter 1uh he goes to visit Dream in prison in chapter 2(in my defense, summaries are hard)
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: DreamSMP One-Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188101
Kudos: 37





	1. Assist

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda drafted the outline for this before the streams where c!Dream killed c!Tommy and proceeded to develop a god complex soo
> 
> definitely not digging up my old one/two-shot ideas to stall until we know who Harpocrates is (my rivalstwt heart hopes it's Dream)
> 
> i should really stop rambling and just let y'all read the fic

Techno flopped face down onto his absurdly luxurious bed, running a hand along the gold beaded details stitched to the satin covers. He groaned as he tugged at his hair, pulling it out of the intricate braid and letting his salmon pink hair fall around him.

A sharp knock on his polished wood door pulled him out of his swirl of thoughts.

“Come in,” he called, sitting up and tiredly rubbing his eyes.

A brown-haired man tentatively opened the door with a quiet creak, peering into the room. “Sir Billiam has called for you,” he said hastily.

“Again?” Techno grumbled as he tried, in vain, to smooth the wrinkles from his shirt. “He said the same thing -like- half an hour ago.”

“He has insisted you meet him in the library,” the butler, whose name Techno couldn’t recall, elaborated.

The library? 

Techno assumed it was the downstairs library, as it was the biggest. Though, he couldn’t understand why Billiam would want to lecture him there as the man wasn’t the biggest fan of reading. 

Well, at least that’s what it seemed to Techno.

In all honesty, he wasn’t sure why he was even still staying with Billiam. As far as he knew, his parents had ‘died’ when he was a child, and Billiam, who apparently was his uncle, had ‘generously’ taken him after seeing his battle prowess at a tournament several years ago when he was barely ten. 

To say he and Billiam had their differences was… a bit of an understatement. He never understood the man’s penchant for wealth and showing off, and hated all the parties that were frequently thrown at the mansion, preferring to lock himself in his room the whole night. For the most part, however, Billiam left him alone, and in return he ignored the occasional screams from downstairs during those occasions. This was proving to be more and more difficult though, and a recent mysterious guest dressed in purple and teal had apparently caused quite a bit of trouble, putting Billiam in a terrible mood for days.

He snapped back into reality to see the butler softly tapping his foot against the floor, and he quickly grabbed the nearest jacket and threw it over his shoulders, then followed the butler downstairs.

The library was probably one of Techno’s favorite places to be in the mansion, aside from his room, of course. He loved the dry smell of the old, yellowed pages, the warm candlelight glow, and especially the books Billiam had. Techno supposed that was probably the main reason he hadn’t just run away immediately.

The only thing in the library that seemed out of place were the two almost identical paintings that hung next to each other over the embossed blood red wallpaper. The painting to the left seemed normal, a spider and several other indiscernible objects in oil paint on a thick, framed canvas.

However, the one to the right had something almost… odd about it. It definitely had a more reddish tint to it, and often Techno could hear strange whispers if he walked by it.

The small knot of suspicion in his chest only grew as the butler led him straight to the second painting.

Techno gasped lightly as the butler theatrically pulled the canvas aside, revealing a set of crisscrossing wooden beams that blocked most of the view to the room ahead.

“Go on ahead,” the butler swung the wooden gate open, his voice no longer sounding so soft and welcoming.

He didn’t want to go- he really didn’t want to-

The wooden gate swung shut behind him with thud, and he stiffened, finding himself face to face with Sir Billiam.

He subconsciously looked away, but his horror only deepened when he saw the countless dried blood splatters across the walls and floor of the long room, smeared across the pillars and the scattered iron bars. The foliage in the room had not escaped the blood either, many of the leaves and blades of grass covered in maroon speckles.

“Um,” Techon swallowed nervously, “sir? Wha-”

“I remembered the day I saw you,” Billiam interrupted, and Techno immediately rolled his eyes, sensenig yet another monologue in the works.

“You were so young,” the man continued. “But despite that, I saw potential. So much potential, something that would one day be useful to my cause.”

“Where- where are you headed with this, sir?” Techno asked, as he wanted to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible. He noticed that he had been nervously fiddling with the gold trim on his sleeves and stuck his hands into his pockets instead.

“Well, young man, there is something in this room that I’d like to show you,” Billiam said, the usual smug poshness in his voice diminishing slightly.

He dramatically gestured to the vividly red object at the far end of the room, and Techno craned his neck to get a better look.

It was… well it was one of the strangest things Techno had ever seen, to say the least. The object appeared to be in the shape of… an egg, and had twisting crimson vines tangled around it as well as spreading across the walls and floor of the room.

Billiam tilted his head, indicating that Techno should follow. He sensed he wasn’t really in a position to argue and followed, careful to avoid the vines snaking through the cracks in the stone bricks.

“Touch it,” Billiam commanded when the two had come within a few feet of the egg.

Techno’s hand jerked, and he felt an almost magnetic pull from the swirl of crimson.

But was this really the smart and logical choice to make?

He felt a strange desire to just reach out- just stroke one of the glittering red leaves-

“No,” Techno said sharply, taking a step back.

“You know you want to,” Billiam whispered. Wait- was that Billiam who just said that-

The voice seemed a lot closer though, almost as if it was in rooted in his mind-

“Go on, do it,” the raspy, whispery voice continued, this time ringing through Techno’s ears and echoing in his mind.

“No- no- no- no!” he shouted, moaning as he pressed his gloved hands over his piglin ears.

Techno turned and made a break for the exit, though not before tripping over one of the vines on the ground.

He grabbed the nearest weapon off of an armor stand (Billiam had about a million of those around the mansion) and ran out of the room, pushing the butler aside.

“Guards, get him!” Billiam shouted.

About ten armored guards came rushing out to the entrance room and followed Techno down the outdoor stairs, chasing him as he stumbled around the marble fountain outside.

One of the guards caught up to him and grabbed him around the waist, pinning his arms down by his sides.

Techno dropped his sword as he struggled, trying to kick the guard in the shins, but he was no match for a fully grown and fully trained guard.

He kept stubbornly trying though- he was losing energy-

Seemingly out of nowhere, a small hooded figure dropped down and swiftly swung an axe around, knocking the guard out.

The figure stood up and tugged at his hood, pulling it down further so Techno wouldn’t be able to identify his face. All he could see were the boy’s bright green eyes that almost glowed under his hood.

Techno brushed the dust off of his clothes and panted, but the boy frantically pointed at the approaching guards and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the shadow-filled forest that bordered Sir Billiam’s mansion.

They waited until they were hours away from the mansion before stopping to rest, at which point Techno asked, “Who are you?”

The boy shrugged, tossing a wildberry into the air and catching it with his mouth.

“Well I’m not going to seek you out to murder you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Techno blurted, then worrying if he’d said the wrong thing.

Much to his surprise, the boy began giggling, his laughter soon shifting into a wheeze. Once he’d calmed down (which took about ten minutes) he shrugged again.

Techno sighed and laid down on the soft foliage, ignoring the stab of hunger in his stomach and soon drifting off to sleep.

The next morning he was gently shaken awake.

He jumped when the first thing he saw was the boy leaning over him, glaring when the boy began laughing again.

“Well in my defense I’ve lived the past few years of my life being woken up by someone who doesn’t lean over you like a horror story murderer,” he retorted, and in turn received a judgemental eye roll.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Techno spoke up again.

“I owe you one,” he said.

The boy shrugged as if to say ‘it’s fine’.

“No but seriously-”

“C’mon,” the boy interrupted, his soft voice barely audible. He pulled Techno to his feet and led them through the forest for the next half hour, before coming across a village in the clearing of the forest.

The air had gotten noticeably colder, and his thin silk outfit did very little to protect him from the biting winds.

The boy took Techno to a cozy cottage near the outskirts of the village, and gestured for him to knock on the door. He could hear laughter and shouts from inside the house.

“Wait- who are you?” he called after the boy, but by then he’d already vanished.

“Hello?”

Techno whipped his head around, and was greeted by a blonde man with ashy gray wings who gave him a warm smile.

“Uh- h- hi-” he stammered.

“Do you need anything? Where are your parents?” the man asked, opening the door wider and inadvertently letting the aroma of freshly baked bread drift outside.

“I don’t- I don’t have any,” he said quietly.

The man’s expression instantly shifted to one of worry and pity. He took a step to the side and reached a hand out to Techno. “Do you want to live with us?”

About a million thoughts swirled in Techno’s mind at the moment, but he let himself shake the man’s hand and tried to meet his smile. 

“Y- yes please,” he said, still unsure of himself or the situation he’d found himself in.

“Then welcome,” the man grinned, leading Techno into the cottage and quietly closing the door behind them. “My name’s Phil.”


	2. Reciprocate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates go brr

“Yep, just stand as close as you can- stand right on it if you want,” Bad said encouragingly. Though his cheerful tone had not declined at all during their conversation, Techno could definitely hear something off, perhaps strained about it.

Techno gripped his sword tightly, shifting his grip on it as he carefully made his way up to the egg shaped cluster of vines, checking every step beforehand so he wouldn’t step on any of the crimson tendrils.

His hand shook when he stepped up to the egg.

A wave of deja vu flooded through Techno, and he took a deep, shuddering breath when the memories slammed into his chest, feeling as if someone had drawn all of the air out of his lungs.

He saw the room in vivid detail, the blood splatters, the crumbling stone bricks, and B- Billiam.

Techno drew in another breath.

The voices in his head really weren’t helping either, most of them chanting “blood for the blood god” or “oh no”, and they all screamed in tandem so he couldn’t differentiate the anger from the horror in their tones.

However, the voices were abruptly cut off and Techno experienced a jarring silence for the first time in years. Ever since he’d escaped the mansion- maybe it was a day after that, maybe a month- but every since then the voices began popping up in his mind, only increasing as time went on.

Everything was deathly quiet for a few agonizing seconds before a whispery sound pierced his ears. It was quite reminiscent of the sound of the wind whistling through tree branches, though this noise had a much more rough and slithery feeling that sent a shiver down Techno’s spine.

Then, just as quickly as it had come, the whisper was gone and Techno was met with hundreds of thousands of confused (and angry) shouts again.

He mumbled a few words to Bad who said something back, before voice returned, this time with… a bit of a false sweetness to it.

“You look familiar, do I know you?” it said, and Techno’s grip on his sword loosened, letting the netherite blade fall to the ground. His sword landed on one of the sections of stone that hadn’t been covered in twisting bloodvines, and the clanging sound interrupted his train of thought. 

The rest of the conversation was a blur, he could barely recall what Bad said the whole time.

Afterwards, he ran home through the nether as fast as he could and slammed the door behind him, triple checking that it was locked.

Deep breaths- deep breaths- everything would be fine-

But it knew- it recognized him-

How- how did it know?

Techno hadn’t noticed that he’d sank to his knees and wrapped his arms around Steve, who fondly rubbed his head against Techno’s shoulder in reassurance.

He let his thoughts float around, and somehow his mind jumped to the bags upon bags of wither skulls in his ender chest, and then jumped to the thought of Dream, still stuck in Pandora’s Vault.

Techno bolted upright, triggering a concerned growl from Steve. 

Dream…

That laugh-

The way he held himself, the way he held his axe-

The way he leaped from tree to tree-

Those eyes-

Shoot.

That made, what, like, three- four times Dream had helped Techno out in the past? And he’d done nothing in return?

Techno’s hands moved as his brain continued to process everything.

A particularly loud voice in his head screamed, “Don’t do it, this is a bad idea.”

He ignored it.

The past few hours seemed like mere seconds, and before Techno knew it he burst through the roof of Pandora’s Vault, the obsidian shards flying in all directions around him. The ground was cold as he braced himself with his hands, then standing up and brushing the dust and rock shards from his shirt.

A blood covered, huddled figure in the corner of the room lifted his head, and those painfully familiar green eyes stared at him in the dim lighting. His mind immediately formed the image of the forest around him, on that eventful night.

“W-” Dream asked softly. “What are you d- doing here?”

“Get up nerd,” Techno grinned while the voices demanded to see more destruction (perhaps the blowing up of the whole prison). 

“T- Techno? But- I- I didn’t call in t-”

Techno’s grin only widened, though there was a distant look in his eyes. “I know,” he said, cutting Dream off.

“But I still owed you a favor, didn’t I?”


End file.
